These national parks in the U.S. offer thoughtful tools and adaptations for visitors with a wide variety of disabilities.
As natural treasures on public land, national parks should theoretically be available to everyone. But people with disabilities—whether those that involve mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive, or other challenges—often face significant barriers to enjoying the great outdoors. Despite the fact that all the parks are under the umbrella of the National Park Service, accessibility can vary greatly. Sometimes remote or rugged terrain makes certain parks more difficult to navigate with a disability, while other times it’s the allocation of resources or a difference in local initiatives that creates barriers.
Accessibility also means something different to each disabled visitor. That’s why the availability of detailed information is essential, allowing travelers to plan for individual needs. In that spirit, here are 10 national parks with extensive accessibility features, from wheelchair-accessible paths and American Sign Language (ASL) tours to tactile museum exhibits, sensory tools, and other ways that visitors with disabilities can explore America’s natural wonders.
Saguaro National Park
With its “Parks for All” approach, Saguaro National Park is working to expand access to its deserts and towering cacti. The park has a unique setup, split into two parts surrounding Tucson. Because of that, it’s a short drive from hotels, restaurants, and other amenities for visitors unable to withstand an extended outing.
Both of the park’s visitor centers are wheelchair-accessible, and there are interpretive programs designed for adaptation, including vehicle caravans where rangers speak near the car. Some trails are also suitable for visitors with mobility challenges, like the Desert Ecology Trail, a paved, quarter-mile-long trail lined with exhibits about local flora and fauna, with benches for resting along the way. The park publishes trail data that includes cross-slope, surface type, width, grade, and more to help wheelchair users determine whether a trail is suitable for them. Saguaro also asks visitors to contribute to accessibility efforts by leaving suggestions, giving disabled visitors a say in how to improve their experience.